


THE FALL OF A KING

by smileyjeongin



Category: NCT (Band)
Genre: Angst, Assassins, Death, Fluff, M/M, Royalty
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-05-19
Updated: 2019-05-19
Packaged: 2020-03-07 21:49:18
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,492
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18881917
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/smileyjeongin/pseuds/smileyjeongin
Summary: if only they met in another lifetime. where jaemin didn’t have to do as he was told. maybe they could be lovers then.





	THE FALL OF A KING

jaemin happily bounced into the living room of the apartment he and his mission partner jeno shared. another successful job done and they had piles of money on their couch to prove it. jaemin always loved pay day, it satisfied his shopping addiction and being able to buy the trendiest and rarest items always made him giddy inside. he fell onto the floor, pulling the bag of money into his lap to start counting as jeno put away the equipment he'd left thrown on the floor. jeno joined him once he was done, spotting the manilla folder jaemin so conveniently missed when he'd gone for the money that was placed under said folder. they worked for a boss they'd never met. he gave them a place to live, and more money than either could ever dream of earning working a typical nine to five job. all they had to do to get it was kill whoever was in the folder that was slipped into their apartment. 

"i can't wait to go shopping," jaemin sighed happily, breathing in the scent of the thick stacks of money like it was the most delicious smelling cherry pie, "eight million jeno, eight million!"

"and a new case that you managed to ignore entirely." jeno laughed. jaemin's face fell into a little pout and his excited hands fell to his lap, the money still firmly grasped in them. 

"what's this one?" he asked almost reluctantly. they both knew this job brought them sick pleasure. after getting so good at killing people, it became a hobby that neither would change for the world. 

"a prince." 

"a prince?!" 

"mhm. we're to attend his twentieth birthday party and kill him there so he cannot take the crown from his father."

"who wouldn't want him to be king?" jaemin asked as he started sorting the money into two piles, his and jeno's. 

"his younger stepbrother. in his statement he said that the prince doesn't deserve to be king and he always outshines him in his father's eyes, making him look weak and immature in comparison. he's sick of his innocent older brother and is expecting the crown on his head or he'll send the royal army blah blah blah blah." 

"how much is he paying?"

"thirty million." jaemin looked up with the widest, most glittering smile jeno had ever seen. 

"thirty?!" he exclaimed, dropping all the money and getting up onto his knees. 

"yup," jeno grinned, "so boss left a note that said he's gotten us on the guest list as noblemen in their kingdom. party is tomorrow and we have until midnight when the party starts to end to get it done." 

"where are we going this time?" jaemin asked, clearly upset he couldn't use tomorrow to go shopping. 

"china. the boy we've got to kill is huang renjun, currently nineteen years old, five-seven, brown hair, brown eyes. request is from zhong chenle, he'll be the blonde prince at the party but that won't really help us distinguish them because renjun chose a masquerade theme for his party." 

"so we just have to show up, look rich, and steal the prince from his party to kill him." 

"we?" jeno scoffed, "you. just like usual i'm going to be feeding you information while you get the target away." 

"right, i forgot i'm the pretty one." jaemin smirked. jeno sent him an unamused look, 

"shut up." 

>>>

the castle was lavish as castles should be. they entered through a set of doors that could've been the front but it could've been the back. hell, it might have been a random side door. in any case it lead to a grand hallways and an even grander staircase, ornate in its decoration and vibrant in its color. there was a man at the top who was dressed simply, a white top and black pants with a half white half black mask covering his eyes. knowing what he and jeno we wearing, jaemin concluded that the people who looked like tha were the servants, dressed down to make the others look extravagant. this man was the one with the list of invitees and he was also the one announcing their arrival to everyone. 

the boss had given them beautiful suits and masks; jaemin's was a deep grey with black threading and accents of obsidian crystals. his mask was simple in structure, framing his eyes and looping around a little above and below for a delicate effect. the whole thing was covered in the same obsidian crystals as his suit and little links of them hung from the bottom of the mask, covering his mouth in a dramatic "v" shape like a bandana. jeno's suit was full black and he'd also been given a tie. his mask covered both his eyes and his entire right cheek. it was also black, a swirling lace pattern in front of a thin layer of black fabric that was just transparent enough that there was contrast between it and the design. along with these wonderful outfits, the boss had provided new names. 

"your names, sires?" the servant asked, half bowing to them as they walked up. 

"wang jian." jaemin replied coyly. 

"li jiao-long," jeno provided. the man announced their names to the crowd after crossing them off the list with a fancy feather pen. they began their decent, eyes peeled for the princes, "shall we find chenle first? surely he'll know where his stepbrother is?" jeno suggested, pressing himself closer to jaemin so only he could hear the words that came from his lips. 

"yes," jaemin replied lowly, "but we have to mingle for a little bit, make ourselves known to the crowd."

"like we didn't do that already with these outfits," jeno scoffed, "honestly what was boss thinking? these only draw attention to us." 

"but we're more attractive to the prince now jen, he'll be more inclined to leave the party with one of us rather than any of these ladies or men. they all look the same." jaemin waved his hand around the crowd and jeno silently agreed. the both of them plucked a champagne flute from the tray of a server making his rounds and split apart, off to mingle with the guests. jaemin found himself somehow caught up in a conversation with two other lords and one other lady. she was very obviously drawn to him and jaemin was trying his best to come off as indifferent to her advances. about fifteen minutes into their chat, two grand doors at the other end of the ballroom opened. from the top of the stairs stood a servant as well as the two looming figures of the king and queen. 

"his majesty, the king!" the servant said, "accompanied by the lovely, queen jiang!" everyone in the ballroom bowed low to the ground as the pair began walking down. the servant continued, "his royal highness, prince chenle!" jaemin looked up ever so slightly to get a look at the younger prince. he was in navy blue, a regal color for him and by the way the light hit it, it gave off a metallic glint. his mask was simple but elegant, the same deep blue and silver with a piece sticking up from the top that looked like half of a crescent moon. his lips were pursed and he scanned the crowd as if looking for the people there to kill his brother. he continued his descent and joined his parents' side. through the doors came one more figure, dressed in crushed olive velvet with a mask of gold and green mimicking a crown atop his head. jaemin memorized the way he smiled, the way he walked, and the way he spoke though he wasn't listening to any of the opening words the prince was delivering. once they were free to mingle again, jaemin made a bee line for chenle. jeno met him in the middle and together they approached him at a corner of the party. 

"your highness." jaemin said, both of them bowing. 

"and who are you two?" chenle asked stiffly. jaemin and jeno each stood on one of his sides,

"your hires." jeno informed him. 

"don't be so tense darling, you'll give yourself away." jaemin crooned, gently nudging the champagne to his lips. 

"relax and let us take care of everything." jeno instructed. 

"have you practiced your shocked, grief stricken face yet?" jaemin asked with an innocent smile. 

"just do your job." chenle pushed off the wall and stalked off. 

"he was pleasant." jaemin muttered. 

"he's paying thirty million and boss will have our heads if we don't follow through. try to remember that before you go backing out of this job just because he's an asshole. we've done jobs for worse." jeno walked away from him and jaemin had to resist the urge to stick his tongue out at his partner's back. pulling his blazer down a little bit, jaemin composed himself and set out on the hunt for renjun. he wasn't that hard to find but the dancing had started which was aggravating because jaemin forgot this was a ball and dancing is usually what happened at them. he stood off to the side, watching the prince twirl a lady in a gold dress. he had a smile on his face and jaemin wondered if perhaps the two were lovers. 

eventually he was approached by a woman in a ruby red dress, it was form fitting unlike most of the ones he'd seen here that had big skirts and lace. he took her up on her offer to dance. she didn't talk much to him, for that jaemin was thankful, and she could actually dance which was another reason to be thankful as she wasn't tripping over him or over dramatically falling into his arms. every time she spun or was momentarily facing the other way jaemin's eyes darted around for the prince. he was easy to find what with his over the top mask making him visible though he was shorter than most people here. the song ended and the casual music started up again, prompting more mingling amongst the guests. 

"thank you for the dance." the woman said, grinning just a little. 

"of course, any time." jaemin took her hand and kissed it before she left. now standing alone, he scanned the ballroom, eyes falling on his prey across the room. 

"we've been here for an hour now," jeno's voice cracked through the tiny earpiece in his ear, "how's it coming?" 

"i'm on my way to him now dear," jaemin hissed, "i had to play nice for a little bit before disappearing." 

"i know just remember, the flight leaves at midnight." jaemin didn't answer. he started off towards renjun, putting on his sultriest face. renjun caught his eye and held it as he came closer until jaemin was right in front of the young prince. it was obvious he was interested. 

"i don't believe we've met your highness," jaemin said, taking renjun's delicate hand and bowing to kiss it. he looked up from his bowed position to see renjun's lips part ever so slightly. he was already captivated by jaemin and all he'd done was kiss his hand. jaemin raised himself back up again, still holding renjun's hand, "i wanted to extend my thanks for the invitation in person." 

"your very welcome," renjun replied. his voice was sweet, cute, "forgive me, who are you gentle stranger?" 

"how can you be so sure i'm gentle?" jaemin asked, evading the question. he stepped closer and released renjun's hand, using the back of his fingers instead to caress his cheek. renjun's eyes fluttered, looking down towards his hand. 

"someone with a touch like yours can't be anything but." he said breathless. 

“i've got chenle on his way to distract people for a few moments. you need to slip out of here with him then." 

"you are much too trusting." jaemin murmured. the talking in the ballroom got louder and people were obviously not paying them any attention. jaemin knew that was the signal but without even realizing, renjun took the bait. 

"come with me." he said after a moment of searching the room to see that they had a window to escape. jaemin smiled and it was hidden but it showed in his eyes. 

"lead the way my prince." jaemin purred, his lips brushing the shell of renjun's ear. he knew for a moment renjun was frozen but with a gentle tug on his hand he was leading jaemin out some doors and quickly down a hall. they flew past door after door, turning corner after corner until jaemin knew he would be able to breathe easy, for the place renjun was taking him would be much too far from the ball for anyone to catch them. renjun opened one side of a pair of ornate wooden doors and went in, jaemin followed. the door closed behind him and jaemin took a moment to revel in the beauty of renjun's bedroom. 

"it's much too big to live in alone." renjun said from behind him. jaemin turned,

"but you aren't alone," he said, "not tonight." renjun was fighting a smile,

"do you plan staying the night?" he asked, amused. jaemin took a few strides forward and put his hands on renjun's jaw, his fingertips brushing the bottom of his mask. 

"i'll stay as long as you want me to." he said simply. 

"forever." renjun whispered, his hooded eyes lifting to jaemin's. 

"that's quite a bold plea my prince." 

"you haven't done anything but touch my skin a few times and i already want to drown myself in you. how is it you have me melting at your feet so easily?" jaemin didn't answer. his fingers crawled up renjun's cheek, slipping under the gold mask. renjun's eyes closed slowly and his chin lifted, pressing into jaemin's touch. the mask came off agonizingly slow and once it was over renjun's hair jaemin let it fall to the carpet with a gentle thud. even his shadow on renjun couldn't dull the brilliant glow the moonlight was giving renjun's skin. his eyes opened and a held breath was released from his plush lips. jaemin had never seen anyone so stunning. 

"i've been told i'm good at getting what i want." jaemin said, finally answering the question. jaemin took a stunned renjun by the hands and walked backwards until his knees hit the soft bed and he fell into a seated position. renjun was left standing in between his legs,

"let me see you," he begged, "you've nothing to hide from. not when you've spoken pretty words to me like you have been." he unlaced his fingers from jaemin's bringing them to jaemin's mask. they stopped and jaemin's heart skipped a beat. maybe it had been skipping multiple beats but he only now noticed it in the pause. 

"why did you stop, love?" 

renjun laughed, shaking his head, a soft sound sending a dizzy feeling though jaemin's body and mind, "it's silly." he confessed. 

"you can tell me, i won't laugh." jaemin very much appreciated that renjun was maintaining his eye contact. it made his body feel like fire. 

"it's just that this feels so intimate. i feel like i'm undressing you," jaemin just smiled and covered renjun's hands with his own, guiding him through taking the mask off. he heard renjun gasp and saw his eyes widen when jaemin's face was free of its veil, "you..." 

"are not as beautiful as you," renjun blushed, pretty pink and shy. he coaxed renjun closer until he could see his eyelashes and the fine shimmer of his eyeshadows. jaemin loved knowing renjun was so affected by him, so vulnerable and open to whatever jaemin wanted to do to him. jaemin's lips pressed to his jaw. the skin burned under him and renjun shuddered. his kisses moved up, next to his ear, on the apple of his cheek, on his nose, right next to his lips, "is that a balcony?" he asked, turning just his head to glance at the double doors covered with slightly parted cream curtains. renjun sputtered,

"yes but-." 

"patience love," jaemin cooed, "take me outside." renjun obeyed with a little smile, pulling him along. the night was warm but there was a breeze that tousled their hair. renjun let go of jaemin and went to the balconies edge, leaning into it.

"this is my favorite place in the palace," renjun said looking up at the stars, "no one can see me out here," there was forest past the end of the castle grounds in front of them and jaemin didn't see another balcony on this entire side of the building. jaemin crossed his arms and peered inquisitively at the prince. he was kind natured and young, alive with desires of the mysterious and matters of the heart. and here was jaemin, the one who was supposed to kill him. a sudden ache flared in jaemin's chest, "they don't like me," renjun continued, "my family. father does of course but my stepmother wishes her son was the one becoming king. he wishes the same. and i don't even want to be king, not really anyways. it's fine i suppose, it's what i've always known i was supposed to become but the older i get the more wishful i get for my freedom. maybe that's why i let you drag me away from that party," renjun turned to face jaemin, a soft, sorrow expression playing on his face, "that'll never happen again." 

"let me help you escape," jaemin offered. he finally walked over to the balconies edge. he took renjun's waist, bringing their bodies closer together, "just for tonight." there it was again, that pesky ache in his chest. 

"please." renjun was staring at his lips, leaning up just enough to make his wants obvious. jaemin ducked, pressing his lips to renjun's neck, 

"inside, i want privacy when i kiss you." he whispered. the back of his mind told him it was because it would be easier to conceal his intentions in the dark. renjun let out a whimpering laugh and followed jaemin's eyes as the taller raised his head again. 

"there's no one else out here." he protested. jaemin dragged him into the dark room again, only illuminated by the moon and a lamp left on in the corner of the room. jaemin rather liked the darkness they were plunged into, he'd found it to be more inviting. 

"the stars, the moon, the trees," jaemin listed, "all would've been watching." renjun giggled loudly and let himself be picked up bridal style, one of jaemin's feet kicking behind to close the door. the fuzzy, drunk feeling returned in jaemin's mind. he laid renjun down on the bed, putting himself above, hovering just inches away. the smile renjun had been wearing disappeared and he reached out to brush jaemin's hair with his fingers. 

"i don't want tonight to end," he spoke. jaemin couldn't answer him, even thinking about the future a few moments from now hurt more than he wanted it to, "stay with me. stay here." 

"you don't even know my name, love." jaemin sadly cocked his head to the side. 

"you'll tell me then." 

"jaemin. it's jaemin." renjun's hopeful eyes softened and it was clear he was unable to hold back anymore. jaemin couldn't either. their lips met and it was the most wonderful kiss jaemin ever had. not cautious, renjun kissed him with devouring affection, pulling him closer and closer still. jaemin forced himself away to get a long look at the beautiful prince, panting, red lipped beneath him. 

"is something wrong?" renjun asked. he was too innocent. 

"no, no, i just wanted to look at you again," renjun smiled at that. jaemin leaned back in, a slow tear rolling down his cheek as he did so, "i'm so sorry, love. please forgive me." he crashed his lips onto renjun's with dangerous passion. his free hand had slipped from renjun's waist to the inside pocket of his blazer. the knife was cold, nothing like how he felt with this boy. there was a moment, as renjun's fingers got tighter around his hair, where he thought there could be another way. he could kidnap the prince, pretend he was dead and secretly spend the rest of his life with him. but boss could find out and if he did he would kill the both of them, maybe jeno too. jaemin could taste the salt in his mouth and he knew it wasn't from renjun. his single tear had turned into more and more until he found himself crying silently into their kiss. 

"people are starting to whisper jaemin, what's going on?" with a deep, heart-wrenching inhale that separated them for a moment, jaemin forced his arm to move. the knife was in renjun's heart and the prince went limp in his arms before he'd ever had the chance to become a king.

**Author's Note:**

> <3  
> ig: sunnyysan


End file.
